Satan's
Doom
Satan is our false accuser, our adversary, and our arch-enemy.
It will be a wonderful day when he is totally defeated
and cast into the lake of fire.
By
Ken Raggio
Revelation 20:10
And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the
beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever.
Do
you believe that there is real devil named Satan or Lucifer?
Researcher
George Barna posed that question to a survey
group and found that only 40% of Americans (2 out of 5) believe that
Satan is a living
being.
In
his book, "What Americans Believe," he
revealed that 69% of Catholics, and 65% of mainline Protestant
church-goers believe the
notion of Satan is only symbolic of evil. Those
statistics are now over ten years
old. Can anyone argue that since that time, the general consensus is treacherously drifting further and further
from the Biblical truth of the matter?
There
is little surprise in the statistics regarding
America's disbelief in the devil.
Only
27% of Americans believe that the God of the Bible is
different from the gods of Islam or Buddhism. That fact reveals a
sickening ignorance, not
only of God and the Devil, but also of the knowledge of the Word of God.
It
is, however, evidence of the accuracy of Hosea 4:6,
"My people are destroyed for a lack of knowledge."
If
Satan is not an actual spirit creature, then we have little use
at all for the Bible.
God's
Word pivots explicitly around an on-going
conflict between the Jehovah God of Heaven and one particular
individual creature known as
Lucifer, the Devil, Satan, and a variety of other titles.
We
will show in this lesson what the Bible declares about
Satan.
We
will find that he is every bit a living individual,
with a mind and will of his own.
We
will see that he was the original sinner, and
God's very first opponent.
We
will see his actual statements and learn what he
intended to do from the beginning, and more importantly, what God
intends to do with him
as well.
I. THE DECEIVER -- HIS RISE
TO POWER
A. Self-exaltation -- "I
Will..."
"In
the beginning, God created...," (Genesis
1:1). John informs us that "...the devil sinneth from the
beginning," (I John
3:8). Lucifer's sin must have occurred sometime during the
creation story. How do we
know? According to Ezekiel 28, in an allegory about the King of Tyrus,
Lucifer is
type-cast as being "full of wisdom, perfect in beauty," "until iniquity
was
found in him."
Ezekiel
28:13 says of him, "Thou hast been in Eden
the Garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius,
topaz, and the
diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
emerald, and the
carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes
was prepared in thee
in the day that thou wast created."
We have often figured that Lucifer came from heaven, and he probably did. But we know for sure from Ezekiel 28:13
and 15 that his principal address was in the Garden of Eden until iniquity was found in him.
But we need to consider some key chronological facts to really understand Satan's actions.
First, take notice of the fact that God planted the Garden AFTER Adam was created.
"And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed," Genesis 2:8.
This is significant, because it means that ADAM was NOT put into the garden with a sinful devil.
When God put Adam into the garden, Satan HAD NOT YET SINNED! According to Ezekiel 28:13-15 (above), he dwelled in
the garden BEFORE iniquity was found in him.
So look at this chronology:
1. God made Adam.
2. God made the garden.
3. God put the man into the garden.
4. Satan was also in the garden before he sinned.
5. Satan sinned before Adam, while IN the garden.
6. God made Eve from Adam's rib.
7. Satan tempted Adam and Eve.
The scripture clearly tells us that Lucifer AND Adam were in the garden together before either of them sinned
against God. Satan could not possibly have sinned before the garden was created, because he was, for a while, sinless in the garden,
and the garden was not created until AFTER Adam was created.
Therefore, sinless Adam was in the garden with sinless
Lucifer for a while. (This also proves that Satan did not exist in a "pre-Adamite" world of fallen angels. NOBODY
fell until after the Garden of Eden was created. It also proves that there was no "chaotic earth" before Adam was created. This
is important to do away with many misleading teachings of our day. There is no Biblical proof of a pre-Adamite
society on earth. It never existed!)
From
the same verses we know that his "tabrets"
(tambourines) and his "pipes" (flute-like instruments) were prepared
for him the
day he was created.
Satan
was a tambourine and flute player, apparently while
in the Garden of Eden, probably even a musician in the presence of Adam
and Eve!
Isaiah
14:13 plainly documents Satan's sin. "For
thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into
heaven, I will exalt my
throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon
the mount of the congregation,
in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above
the heights of the clouds; I
will be like the most High." These remarks tell us at least
five facts about
Lucifer:
1.
He was not in heaven when he boasted. ("I
will ascend into heaven.")
2.
He had a throne, equal to or below other angels.
("I will exalt my throne above the stars of God.")
3.
He must have been on earth, because he aspired to sit
in a mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. We can only
guess where: perhaps
Mt. Zion or Mt. Moriah? ("I will sit on the mount of the congregation.")
4.
He was below the clouds when he boasted. ("I will
ascend above the heights of the clouds.")
5.
He was not god-like, but wanted to be. ("I will be
like the Most High.")
According
to Ezekiel 28:14-15, Satan was "the anointed
cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy
mountain of God;
thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of
fire. Thou wast perfect in
thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found
in thee."
He
was an "anointed cherub that covereth,"
suggesting an angel with a God-ordained position of responsibility,
with a throne of his
own, below the Most High, not in heaven, under the clouds, apparently
on earth -
"until iniquity was found in thee..." (Ezekiel 28:15).
These
are interesting observations: seeing Lucifer in an
earth-based state, planning to ascend above the clouds, above other
angels, role-playing
as God. Later, his ambition to be god-like will cause him in the end to
imitate the very
Incarnation of God (Jesus Christ), in the form of antichrist!
Not
surprisingly, those ambitions are EXACTLY what he is
achieving to this day! The scriptures confirm that he attained to the
position of
"the prince of the power of the air," (Ephesians 2:2), and "the god of
this
world" (2 Corinthians 4:4).
In
his final character role as antichrist, he
"opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is
worshipped;
so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he
is God," (II
Thessalonians 2:4).
John
reveals in Revelation 13:5-7, "there was given
unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was
given unto him to
continue forty and two months. And he opened his mouth in
blasphemy
against God, to
blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in
heaven. And it was given
unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them: and power
was given him over
all kindreds, and tongues, and nations."
Satan
is a very real spirit
person (not human). His
character and nature is the textbook definition for "diabolical."
For
some reason, God has always permitted Lucifer to
thrive in his evil doings (i.e., the temptations of Job, Jesus, Judas,
saints and sinners
of all ages). He will continue to flourish until Armageddon.
Have
you ever wondered why God did not simply annihilate
Satan and his fellows in their original sin? We may never know the
answer to that question
until we stand in His presence. But there is one thing to consider. God
chose to allow
Satan to do almost any and every conceivable crime and evil for six
thousand years,
knowing that in the end, absolutely nothing Satan ever did could
overthrow the Kingdom of
God, or supplant God from his majestic throne! Only God in His
omniscient wisdom could
allow men and devils to have their own free will, rife with sin and
rebellion, and yet
maintain 100% control of the outcome! What a Sovereign and Almighty God
we serve!
B. Led schism among angels,
caused overthrow
Revelation
12:4 says, "And his tail drew the third
part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth." The fact
that he DREW
THEM and CAST THEM demonstrates acts of coercion and force against the
other angels. This
behavior is identical to the devil of 2 Timothy 2:26, who, by his own
will sets
"snares" for unsuspecting victims and "takes men captive." All the
evidence depicts Satan as a malicious, determined aggressor. He does
not wait on others to
make their own mistakes. He actively seeks to steal, kill and destroy,
when and where he
chooses!
Jesus
called the devil "the thief," and taught
that he "cometh not, but for to steal, kill and destroy" (John 10:10).
Jude
explained that the angels "kept not their first estate, but left their
own
habitation." One-third of the holy angels apparently abandoned the
God's heaven
while under the influence of Satan. He would have destroyed the entire
kingdom of God if
he could have. He instigated the downfall of multitudes of angels, then
proceeded to
destroy the souls of humankind. Isaiah 14:12 says, "How art thou fallen
from heaven,
O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground,
which didst weaken the
nations!" Perhaps the first nations Satan weakened were angelic nations.
Then
he proceeded to weaken human nations -- "(He)
made the world as a wilderness, and destroyed the cities thereof; that
opened not the
house of his prisoners," Isaiah 14:17. Cities that once existed are now
extinct
because of the works of Satan. Before Satan is through, literally
billions of people will
have been destroyed by this aggressive, murderous, lying thief.
II. THE DECEIVER -- CUT DOWN TO THE GROUND
There
are several references to Satan's fall,
depicting different time frames.
1.
Isaiah's comment, "How thou art cut down to
the earth," (Isaiah 14:12).
2.
Jesus' remark, "I beheld Satan fall as
lightning," (Luke 10:18).
3.
Jesus' upcoming crucifixion, "now shall the
prince of this world be cast down," (John 12).
4.
John's revelation of the dragon, the devil cast
down into the earth to torment mankind for a short time (Revelation
12:12)
5.
John's revelation of Satan cast into the lake of
fire with the beast and the false prophet for 1000 years. (Revelation
20:2; Ezekiel
28:16-18)
6.
John's revelation of Satan cast into the
bottomless pit forever at the end of the 1000 year reign of Christ
(Revelation 20:7)
Let's
try to put all these in perspective.
From
the story of Job, we learn that Satan had access both
to heaven and earth. This was long after Adam and Eve fell. Some
believe Job was a
grandson of Jacob, and son of Issachar (Genesis 46:13). If so, Satan
had access to the
throne of God in the days contemporary with Joseph in Egypt.
The
reason it is significant to see Satan's activity
in this particular time-frame is to show that he still had access to
heaven, at least to
the throne of God after he sinned. Satan obviously
STILL has access to the throne
for him to have permission to tempt us today!
It
reveals an interesting aspect of Satan's plight.
The fall of Satan, or his being "cut down to the ground" in Isaiah
14:12 is NOT
the same event as his being "CAST OUT and CAST DOWN" in Revelation 12.
Revelation
12:7, "And there was war in heaven:
Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, 8
And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9
And the great
dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the
whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast
out with him.
The
difference in his being "cut down" in
Isaiah, and "cast down" in Revelation can be reckoned with as follows.
Throughout
the history of man unto this day, Satan has
been able to tempt mankind on earth and also stand before
God's throne for
permission. Satan has seemingly always had freedom to go back and forth
to the throne of
God. Since his original sin, we have no evidence that he has been seen
elsewhere in
heaven. Remember that Lucifer's sin started with his evil
intention to "ascend
into heaven," (Isaiah 14:13). Though he could plead his temptations
before the
throne, he did not have free access to heaven.
Paul
spoke of the third heaven in 2 Corinthians 12:2,
"...caught up to the third heaven." First heaven being the air
that we
breathe, second heaven the place where angels and devils dwell, and
third heaven being
God's heaven.
Perhaps
Lucifer was cut down from the third heaven, free
to operate only in the second heaven -- earth's heaven, but
not in the third --
God's heaven.
Isaiah
saw Lucifer "cut down" long before Jesus
said, "I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven," Luke 10:18. Are
these two
references to the same event? Probably not.
We
do not know exactly when Jesus saw Satan fall. If he
saw it after being born as the Son of Man, that would have been long
after Isaiah's
note. If He saw it before the incarnation, it might have happened at
any time.
John
12 may give us some insight. Beginning with verse 27,
Jesus spoke of his death by crucifixion, saying, "Father, save me from
this hour: but
for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name. Then
came there a voice
from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it
again. The people
therefore, that stood by, and heard it, said that it thundered: others
said, An angel
spake to him. Jesus answered and said, This voice came not because of
me, but for your
sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the
prince of this world be cast
out."
Jesus
said earlier that he had seen Satan fall as
lightning. Now, He is pointing to a subsequent "casting out."
Let's
consider the two different events.
These
verses show that Jesus' death on the cross is
the cause of Satan's being cast out as prince of the world.
Yet that particular fall
will not be complete until the Battle of Armageddon. He is still
working under the earlier
fall
Observe
the fact that there are no cases of
demon-possession mentioned in the Old Testament. Yet in the New
Testament, demon
possession is rampant.
Satan
may not have fallen as lightning until Jesus was
born, because from that time forward, men were rabidly demon-possessed.
We
know that Jesus encountered Satan face-to-face in the
wilderness, so Satan was certainly in the earth at that time. Jesus
claimed to have power
to "destroy the works of the devil" and also gave his disciples power
to
"cast out devils."
At
the coming of Jesus Christ, Lucifer was apparently
sentenced to ground warfare with Jesus Christ and His Church. As Jesus
and His Church
conflict with Satan and his devils daily, the prince of the world is
being cast out. Every
time a soul is saved, or a devil cast out, the church is taking back
souls one at a time.
Peter
and Jude told how God handled the angels that sinned.
In
2 Peter 2:4, He "cast them down to hell, and
delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;"
and in Jude
1:6 "he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the
judgment of the
great day."
Apparently,
some of the fallen angels were immediately
sent to hell, while others (Satan and his cohorts) were left to
persecute the human
society.
Only
the Church of Jesus Christ has the power to bind them
and cast them out. If we do nothing, Satan wins. If we resist, we win.
A. Tempts men and causes them to fall
or be destroyed.
Make
no mistake about it, Satan has been an evil force in
every generation. From Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, Noah's
day, Babel, Sodom, sin has
raged.
Jesus
called him a MURDERER and a LIAR in John 8:44,
"Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will
do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and
abode not in the
truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he
speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the
father of it."
As
the adversary of Job, Satan tried to move God to
destroy him, (Job 1:6-9, Job 2:1-6, Job 2:7). In Zechariah 3, he
resisted the ministry
(Joshua the High Priest). He resisted the nation and king of Israel, (I
Chronicles 21)
provoking David to number Israel, displeasing God, and causing 70,000
deaths. Satan was
behind Babylon and the King of Babylon's oppression of Israel.
Satan
tried to devour the man child, Jesus, when he was
born (Revelation 12:4). Herod's orders to kill the male
children of Palestine were
Satanic, causing countless infants to die. Satan will also persecute
the woman (Israel)
who brought forth the Messiah, when he is cast unto the earth
(Revelation 12:13).
B. Hinders the
righteous
Satan
tempted Jesus, (Matthew 4:1), sifted Peter (Luke
22:31), and filled Ananias with lies (Acts 5:3). A messenger of Satan
buffeted Paul (2
Corinthians 12:7), and hindered Paul from making a missionary journey
(1Thessalonians
2:18).
Today,
Satan beguiles believers as the serpent beguiled
Eve (2 Corinthians 11:3), and sows tares among wheat (he plants sinners
among saints to
cause them distress). Jesus said, "The enemy that sowed them is the
devil,"
Matthew 13:39.
Satan
will persecute Christians in the last days.
"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the
remnant of
her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of
Jesus
Christ," Revelation 12:17.
C. Afflicts and oppresses
mankind
Satan
bound the infirm woman for eighteen years, (Luke
13:16). He threw down children and tore them in Matthew 15:22, and Luke
9:42
D. Is a dreaded influence on
sinners
In
1 Timothy 1:20, Paul delivered Hymenaeus and Alexander
"unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." In other words,
"Let
the devil batter them and they won't be so apt to blaspheme
the next time!"
Paul
delivered a Corinthian backslider "unto Satan
for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the
day of the
Lord," I Corinthians 5:5.
E. Adversary of all
believers
"Your
adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh
about, seeking whom he may devour," I Peter 5:8.
The
name Satan actually means "adversary." He
works against us in many ways.
1. Accuses the
brethren. The term "devil"
means "slanderer or false accuser." He works through men. The deaths of
Jesus
and Paul and others were the result of false accusations. Satan used their
brethren Jews, Chief
Priests and officers of the Temple.
2. Condemns. Paul warned novice
preachers against
falling into "the condemnation of the devil," I Timothy 3:6.
3. Devours. 1 Peter 5:8, "your
adversary the
devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."
4. Imprisons and torments. Revelation 2:10
"The devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried;
and ye shall
have tribulation."
5. Steals the Word
away. Mark 4:15, "when they
have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was
sown in their
hearts."
6.
Captures, ensnares, takes hostage, 2 Timothy
2:26, "that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil,
who are taken
captive by him at his will."
7. Takes
advantage of us. (2 Corinthians 2:11)
F. Enters into, possesses or fathers evil spirits
in men
Those
whom Satan possessed were variously deaf, dumb, blind,
lunatic, epileptic, or afflicted with other maladies.
Jesus
caught Satan speaking through Peter in Matthew
16:23, "But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan:
thou art an
offence unto me."
Judas
also succumbed: "And after the sop Satan
entered into him," John 13:27. He arranged Jesus' murder!
Jesus
told the Pharisees they were "of your father
the devil," John 8:44.
Elymas, the sorcerer in Acts 13:10, was called a "child of the
devil."
Jesus
said "the tares are the children of the wicked
one." I John 3:10 labels all men as either the children of God or the
children of the
devil.
G. Has false synagogues,
churches, Messiah,
anointing
Satan
has a synagogue, (Revelation 2:9). Satan sometimes
has a seat in and works in the church, (Revelation 2:13). Satan has
power, signs, and
wonders, (II Thessalonians 2:9). He deceives the whole world,
(Revelation 12:9, 18:3). He
uses sinners to prophesy, cast out devils, do wonderful works, (Matthew
7:22-23). He works
miracles, (Revelation 16:14). He has his own doctrines, (1 Timothy
4:1). He uses false
prophets, false Christs, evil men and seducers, (Matthew 24:11, 2
Timothy 3:13, II John
1:7). He disguises himself as an angel of light, (2 Corinthians 11:14).
III. THE DECEIVER -- CAST DOWN TO HELL
A. His own house is divided and cannot
stand.
Mark
3:26 says, "If Satan rise up against himself,
and be divided, he cannot stand, but hath an end."
If
we can prove that Satan casts out Satan, then we can
prove that his kingdom will fall.
In
Mark 3:23, "he called them unto him, and said unto
them in parables, How can Satan cast out Satan?" The answer is in
Matthew 7:22-23,
"Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in
thy name? and
in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful
works? And then will
I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work
iniquity."
Jesus
explicitly calls the casting out of devils by these
non-Christians a work of iniquity. Therefore, it is a work of
Satan's kingdom.
If
Satan can afflict a person with a sickness, why
can't he call back that sickness and appear to be the Healer?
The true church can
take heart against the deceptive works in false religion today, knowing
that these modern
deceivers will certainly bring their own house down upon themselves.
Satan's
house must fall.
B. Jesus came to destroy Satan, his works and his
kingdom.
I
John 3:8, "For this purpose the Son of God was
manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." Jesus will
perform the
grand finale at Armageddon.
Meanwhile,
Jesus has become the "adversary of the
adversary."
These
things we know about Satan's plight:
1. His
head will be bruised by Messiah and
the Church's heel,
(Genesis 3:15, Romans 16:20).
2. He knows
who Jesus is and trembles, (Luke 4:41,
James 2:19).
3. He
dreads to be tormented before the time, (Matthew 8:29).
4. Has great wrath, knowing he has a short
time, (Revelation
12:12).
5. God
restrains him,
(Job 1:12, Job 12:16)
Jesus
Christ is the power and authority that will finally
bring Satan down for good.
1.Because
of Jesus' death at
Calvary, the world is
sentenced to be judged, and Satan to be cast out. (John 12:31).
2. Jesus revoked demon possessions where ever
He went. (Matthew
4:24)
3. Jesus
healed and delivered all who were
oppressed of
the devil.
(Mark 1:32, 34,39; Matthew 8:16)
4. Satan
will be destroyed by Jesus Christ. Hebrews
2:14, "...that through death he might destroy him that had the
power of death,
that is, the devil"
C. The Church wars
against Satan.
1. Jesus gave them power and
authority. Mark 16:17,
"In my name shall they cast out devils" Luke 9:1, "and gave them power
and
authority over all devils." Luke 10:19. "I give unto you power to tread
on
serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and
nothing shall by any
means hurt you."
2. The
disciples cast out devils. Mark 6:13,
"And they cast out many devils"
3. The
church resists Satan. Ephesians 4:27,
"Neither give place to the devil." Ephesians 6:11, "Put on the whole
armour
of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil."
James 4:7,
"Resist the devil, and he will flee from you."
4. The Church quenches the fiery darts of the
devil by
faith, (Ephesians
6:16), and are delivered from the snare of the devil, 2
Timothy
2:26.
5. They
overcome him by the blood of the Lamb
and the word
of their testimony, Revelation
12:11.
6. They
are not ignorant of his devices, 2
Corinthians 2:11.
7. Their weapons are
mighty through God to
the pulling
down of strongholds. 2
Corinthians 10:4.
D. The Holy Angels war
against Satan, and assist
the Church.
The
angels of God have always ministered to the saints.
They came to Jesus when Lucifer tried Him. Mark 1:13. They came to
saints who were
imprisoned and tried. They will intervene completely in the end of the
age.
1. Michael and his angels
will make war against the
Dragon,
(Revelation 12: 7,8) and Satan will not prevail.
2. Satan will be cast from heaven (Revelation 12:9)
"And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil,
and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and
his angels were cast
out with him. 10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come
salvation, and
strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for
the accuser of our
brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."
3. He will be bound in the bottomless pit for
1000
years.
Revelation 20:2, "And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent,
which
is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him
into the
bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he
should deceive the
nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after
that he must be
loosed a little season."
4. Satan's
beast and false prophet
will be judged
and condemned. Revelation
19:20, "And the beast was taken, and with him the false
prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them
that had received
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both
were cast alive into
a lake of fire burning with brimstone."
Jesus
said that Hell (Hades: lake of fire) was actually
created for Satan and his angels, (Matthew 25:41). The tormented souls
of the dead will
curiously gather to witness Satan's entry into hell. Isaiah
14:9 declares that
"Hell (Gahena: the grave) from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee
at thy coming:
it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth;
it hath raised up
from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall
speak and say unto
thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11
Thy pomp is
brought down to the grave."
But
one more event must take place. Revelation 20:7,
"And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of
his
prison," and will go out again to deceive the earth. This time,
however, he will meet
his final doom.
E. Satan's
Doom
God
has always planned Satan's defeat. Ezekiel 28:16
says, "I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I
will destroy
thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine
heart was lifted
up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of
thy brightness: I
will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they
may behold thee. 18
Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities,
by the iniquity of
thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of
thee, it shall devour
thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all
them that behold
thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished
at thee: thou shalt
be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more."
Satan
will be mocked and scorned in his fall. God will
have every person who ever knew the devil to have the pleasure of
watching him be
destroyed!
Isaiah
14:15 says, "Yet thou shalt be brought down to
hell, to the sides of the pit. 16 They that see thee shall narrowly
look upon thee, and
consider thee, saying, Is this the man that made the earth to tremble,
that did shake
kingdoms?"
We
actually will see Satan destroyed!
Revelation
12:10, "And I heard a loud voice saying in
heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our
God, and the power of
his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused
them before our
God day and night."
John
saw it prophetically, in Revelation 20:10. "And
the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone, where the beast
and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for
ever and ever."
Forever
and ever! That means that Satan is under an
ETERNAL sentence without the possibility of parole. Satan will NEVER be
seen or heard from
again!
SUMMARY
This
entire subject, of Satan, his rise, his fall, his
doom, is a parenthetical thing in the eternal Kingdom of God. Because
we are so
time-based, it is difficult for us to perceive the Kingdom of God
without the presence of
the devil. The devil as we know him, however, is an aberration, a
deviation, from
God's holy and perfect realm. He was never meant to be.
The
devil is telling society today that it is impossible
to have a world without evil, but that is not true. There will be no
sin in Heaven.
It
is only when this entire drama of sin and evil has come
to a grinding halt that we can begin to enter into the glories of the
Lord.
Jesus
said in Matthew 12:28, "If I cast out devils by
the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you." In other
words,
"If I put the devil in Hell, then the Kingdom of God is back!"
As
soon as Satan has been permanently disposed of in the
Hell that was prepared for him and all his cohorts, Jesus Christ and
his Bride will have
only begun to enjoy the splendors of Heaven. In Heaven, God will wipe
away all tears from
our eyes, and there will be no pain, no sorrow, no suffering as there
was back in
Satan's days.
Oh,
happy day!
